A Kosovo citizen extradited to the US has appeared in a federal court in Tampa this week, facing charges related to his role in operating a cybercrime marketplace.
The man, Liridon Masurica, 33, of Gjilan, Kosovo, known online as ‘@blackdb’ was arrested on December 12, 2024, by Kosovo authorities.
Roughly a week before his arrest, Masurica was charged in the US with one count of access device fraud conspiracy and five counts of fraudulent use of unauthorized access devices.
He was extradited to the US on May 9 and made his first appearance in court on May 12. He will be held in custody pending trial.
According to the indictment, Masurica was the lead administrator of cybercrime marketplace BlackDB.cc, which had been active since 2018. The site appears to have been shut down by law enforcement.
The illicit platform offered for sale stolen account and server credentials, credit card information, and personally identifiable information (PII), which allowed cybercriminals to perform tax and credit card fraud, and identity theft.
According to the US Department of Justice, the investigation into Masurica’s illicit activities was led by the FBI in collaboration with Kosovo Police’s Cybercrime Investigation Directorate.
If found guilty on all six counts, Masurica faces up to 55 years in federal prison.
In December 2024, Kosovo authorities also arrested Ardit Kutleshi and Jetmir Kutleshi, suspected of operating Rydox, a cybercrime marketplace for stolen personal information and fraud tools. They were extradited to the US in early April. Shpend Sokoli, the third suspected Rydox administrator, was also arrested in December, in Albania.
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